That is how it is starting to feel anyway! The beginning of the end of our time in Atlanta. It feels quite daunting to be a quarter of the way through April, knowing we only have 6 weeks left of the school year, and therefore 6 weeks left of needing to be here in Atlanta. Once the end of May arrives we could be on a flight.

We have stuck a pin in the calendar and are working back from an ETA in Leeds of the week of June 11th. We needed to at least plan on a departure date, as the dogs have to go through a time sensitive process of vaccinations and paperwork. We also needed to find a house to rent that would allow pets. That search, although stressful, was thankfully brief. Although Leeds has an abundance of rental properties, given it’s three universities, there is a dearth of landlords who welcome pets. We were lucky, thanks to the help of friends in Leeds, to find a home that will welcome our dogs, and give us a 6 month lease while we search for a home to buy.

So while it’s exciting that we now have a place to land, we’ve recently had numerous poignant ‘lasts’ – our last Spring break, our last Masters tournament in the same time zone, our last Easter in the US. I’ve tried to conceal their significance to me from my children – I don’t want to keep saying ‘this is our last…’. Interestingly though, instead of a fear of leaving, I have more concerns about adapting to our new home. Will I still love the UK as much as ever? Will I constantly compare things with here? Will we be accepted? Will the children make friends?

Poppy and Hugh continued to be buoyed by the thought of an extra month of summer holiday, their biggest concerns right now appear to be being penalized at school for US spelling, and ‘English money’, and how to convert from dollars to pounds and vice versa…Dave and I, while not challenged by currency conversions, are suddenly confronted with dealing with Celsius, grammes and kilograms! This move once again reminding me how two countries, sharing the same language, can be poles apart on so many other things!